Written by

Scott Bowles, USA TODAY

Hart's police comedy Ride Along cruised to a thundering win at theaters this weekend, trouncing the return of the Tom Clancy hero and providing an unexpected jolt to the box office in January, normally a turnstile wasteland.

Ride Along did $41.2 million, according to studio estimates from Rentrak. If estimates hold, the opening is the largest ever in January, eclipsing 2008's Cloverfield, which opened with $40.1 million. ...